Studying is a life journey you may only experience once, but traveling might be something you’ll do more frequently as your life progresses. Being able to do the two simultaneously is precious and daunting, so it’s essential to research your potential destinations thoroughly before deciding. Consider the following study-abroad tips to make your experience fulfilling travel- and study-wise.
Researching Your Studies and Your Trip
Working out a plan with extensive and accurate research is easier to achieve than you might think. Here’s how to start planning where you’ll travel.
Find a Suitable Study Abroad Provider
Before anything else, contact a recognized study abroad provider with experience arranging these trips to make your experience fulfilling and memorable. Such professionals can answer your questions and help you learn a foreign language while attempting to resolve any of your other logistical problems. After your initial introductions, you’ll likely stay in contact with your study abroad provider.
As much as the provider can help, it’s up to you to find out the potential costs involved and anything you might have to arrange yourself from the get-go. Doing so will help with your future research, planning, and budgeting.
List Interesting Countries and Attractions
Listing the countries you want to see abroad helps with your budget later. You’ll want to investigate where you’ll best be able to conduct your studies and use it as a base for your travel endeavors. Your study abroad provider will help you with finding your study base.
After doing so, you can plan your transit by speaking with travel agents to establish flight, train, or ferry prices to and from your chosen destinations. They can also assist in finding tours you can take during your exploration. Note all the details and prices for your budget.
Look into passport and visa requirements. Your abroad provider and travel agent can provide helpful insights here.
Study and Travel Budgeting
Your budgets are crucial when you’re planning to study abroad. The last thing you want is to run out of funds, so devising a spending plan and tracking what you buy is imperative.
Course and Tuition
Firstly, you want to know what your tuition and studies will cost. If you’re studying abroad for the first time, consider taking on a course load that will allow you more time away from the books and computer. If you can leave your Monday or Friday schedule clear, you can make the most of long weekends to travel and sightsee.
Don’t disregard the credits you want, but remember that you might later regret taking on too much to enjoy your overseas opportunity fully. So, look at your course requirements, choose your credits, check the cost and note it afterward. If possible, settle any tuition and study fees beforehand, as it’ll lighten your budgeting load abroad.
Accommodations
Look at your options. You could stay on campus where you’re studying and figure out the expenses through trial and error, from simple things you never considered like a power strip to essentials like a fan for a campus in a warmer country.
Depending on the rules, staying on campus could restrict your movements. If you stay off campus, you’ll have to cover additional expenses over and above your study fees. Think about costs like rent and deposits, utilities, and parking. There are also laundry expenses and meal preparation — on campus, these are often covered in your bulk boarding fee. Your accommodation prices may be higher living off campus, but you’ll likely have more freedom of movement.
Travel and Transportation
Include your airfare to and from where you’ll study, taxi fares to and from the airport, and sightseeing. Are your travel documents in order? Ensure you’ve done your homework and know the costs of applying for entry papers to specific destinations.
Extending Your Stay Abroad
You may enjoy your time away so much that you want to extend your trip once the semester ends. Build the potential costs of doing so into your budget and consider the implications.
Potentially staying longer means thinking about buying an open-ended return ticket before you leave. You’d also need to come up with funds for any extra housing, entertainment, tourism venues, and potential fees.
Keep some money tucked away for worst-case scenarios so you don’t run dry early. The more accurately you stick to your budget, the less likely anything will go awry later.
Socializing and Activities
Now comes the fun part. Studying is just one part of your overseas adventure — making new friends and taking in the sights and sounds is the other. Ideally, you want to begin this process early so you’re not alone in a strange land once you arrive.
Get Online and Mingle
You now know where you’ll study abroad, and using social media, student groups, travel forums, and other online platforms can help you connect with like-minded people in the locations you visit. Perhaps you already know people in your city of study, which will help substantially.
Learn the Language and Culture
If you visit a country with a different first language, research this language. Nobody expects you to be fluent, but knowing some essential keywords helps bridge the communication gap with the locals and builds some respect. Living alongside the locals means you’ll become more familiar with their customs, social values, and language.
Researching a country’s culture and traditions helps you identify with some of its local characteristics. You’ll more easily relate to people in a country if you understand them better, which will help you make friends. There’s no need to lose your identity, but dressing a certain way can also help bridge international divides.
You’ll also become more independent and self-confident than ever before. By expanding your social horizons, you’ll improve your problem-solving skills and grow in ways you hadn’t previously anticipated.
Explore Your Base City and Country
You’ve chosen your city to study in for a reason. Ensure you make the most of your time there. Visit the popular night spots, enjoy the museums and theaters, and spend time at the attractions.
Take time to travel to surrounding towns and villages while improving your knowledge. You’ll meet other students during courses and have ready-made tour guides eager to show you around.
Do everything you can to embody yourself in your temporary home. Studying is most important, but if you’re unable to spend your time enveloped in a foreign culture building lasting connections, you may as well have studied at home.
European Countries to Consider When Studying Abroad
Regarding studying abroad, Europe is a premium destination, as many countries are within easy and accessible distance of each other. Each has an excellent academic reputation and exciting cities with their own culture and historical significance.
Belgium
Engineering, economic, or political science students should rank Belgium highly on their lists when considering studying abroad. The University of Ghent and KU Leuven have stellar academic reputations, with Belgium known for its many internships and EU networking opportunities.
Visiting students often choose Belgium as a study base, as it is central to Europe and easy to travel from. Antwerp and Brussels are energized, multicultural, and historically rich cities offering plenty of attractions.
England
England is a proverbial melting pot for students choosing to study abroad. With the elite Oxford and Cambridge Universities a short trip from London, a diverse list of academic programs is one of many prime attractions. Sadly, you can only apply to one of these two educational pillars in the same study year during undergrad, so choose wisely. Teaching and researching fields top an extensive list of professional studies throughout the U.K.
With top-class professional soccer, rugby, cricket or other sports always on the go somewhere, England is a go-to base for sports fans. At the same time, the range of students from across the globe makes exploring the country all the more appealing. With the green and welcoming Scotland and Ireland close by, there’s every reason to choose England as an overseas study base.
France
The Sorbonne and Sciences Po are both world-renowned universities, and students of the arts, business and humanities flock to France yearly. The language barrier may hinder some, but learning it and mingling with Parisiennes is part of the experience.
The beaches are perfect for a bit of sun while adventuring in the French Alps or Pyrenees mountains. Historically and culturally, the country is unquestionably a European highlight, and sampling the local cuisine is unforgettable.
Germany
Germany — home to Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes — offers engineering and technological expertise that will suit academics in these fields, as well as financial and business students. With a strong economy and global job market influences, the country also offers outstanding career opportunities to international graduates.
LMU Munich and the University of Heidelberg are prime starting points if you’re looking to study abroad in Germany and sample the local beer, bratwurst, and sauerkraut. There’s always Oktoberfest in Munich to keep the social animal in students awake and breathing, too.
Italy
With the University of Bologna at the forefront, Italy is an academic and cultural giant in Europe and beyond. The university is the oldest in the Western world, but its age and traditions haven’t stunted its teaching methods.
Italy has many historical landmarks, from the Colosseum to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The capital — Rome — never sleeps and is a must-see for students longing for a multicultural Italian experience. If you prefer serene landscapes and artistic inspiration, visit Florence or the Italian Alpine mountainside. The beaches of the Mediterranean coast attract frequent visits from foreign and local students who enjoy the sand, surf, and sun.
Sweden
Sweden might be your destination if it’s the academic innovation you’re after. Lund University is renowned for its interdisciplinary research programs, while others are known for their technological, engineering, and environmental science fields. It’s usually cold, so if you set up your study base here or visit, take warm clothes.
The country is an excellent place to further your academic goals, and you might not find as many distractions there as in some others. If you’re looking for attractions, try the local hot spots or hop on a train that offers easy access elsewhere in Europe.
Other International Destinations for Studying Abroad
If you would prefer to study somewhere other than Europe, consider these popular destinations in other parts of the world.
Africa
Africa is a vast continent with many opportunities for international study. From Egypt to South Africa, you can find many renowned academic institutions:
- Egypt: This North African colossus has 10 universities ranked in Africa’s top 20, including the University of Cairo in Giza. Plus, the Nile River, the ancient pyramids and the Sphinx are popular spots to visit during your time off.
- South Africa: The southernmost African country hosts the top three universities on the continent, and the Western Cape’s University of Cape Town ranks best. Situated beneath the iconic Table Mountain, the academic giant is a pinnacle.
From Cairo to Cape Town, Africa is a prime continent for international students. You can experience exhilarating foreign cultures, sample local cuisine, and view the “Big Five” animal species while on safari.
Asia
The Asian continent is an international technological hub, and South Korea and Japan are popular study-abroad destinations for many higher education students:
- South Korea: Besides tourist attractions like Haeundae Beach and the Busan Tower, South Korea’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul is internationally renowned for its engineering and language programs. Before visiting the city’s famous nighttime entertainment, you can sample its local cuisine.
- Japan: Studying in Japan will help you become more efficient and disciplined while working in a team-oriented environment. These are traits of the nation in general, and studying at the University of Tokyo or Kyoto University will highlight these further. The Tokyo National Museum, Mount Takao, and Kyoto’s Samurai School are all worth visiting on your breaks.
Americans studying in Asia will benefit from favorable currency exchanges, highly efficient tuition and internationally respected course quality, especially in technology and engineering-based curricula. Other Asian countries offering good study-abroad options include Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.
Research Your Destinations and Enjoy the Experience
Whether you’re happy to frequent sports stadiums in London or marvel at the samurai skills in Kyoto, each of the above countries has enough to occupy you as a full-time student from abroad. The trick is to research, plan, budget, and cover everything necessary before you depart.
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Jack Shaw is the Senior Outdoors Writer for Modded Magazine. Driven by his passion for writing, Jack loves to traverse the wilderness, travel, and explore the unknown. He has over six years of experience writing professionally and loves engaging in new projects. His works have been published in The Travel Magazine, EcoHotels, Trekaroo, and more.
